When a person is arrested and charged with a crime of some severity, the implications of the charges do not end with potential jail-time. The truth of the matter is that a serious charge can impact a person for the rest of their life. Having a significant criminal charge on your criminal record can impact a person’s ability to secure employment, housing, and advanced education opportunities. Fortunately, in some instances, it is possible to have charges expunged from your criminal record. Below we will discuss expungement in Illinois, and the importance of speaking with your attorney regarding your options.

Understanding Expungement

In the state of Illinois, a person can seek expungement of an arrest that did not result in a conviction. If the charge is expunged from your record, it will be erased from all records and databases. If you are seeking to remove a conviction from your criminal record, you may be able to have your record sealed. While sealing your record will not remove the conviction from your criminal record, it will remove it from visibility by potential employers and other officials. It should also be noted that if a conviction is ultimately reversed, a person can seek to have the charge expunged.

Due to changes in Illinois state family law, child custody is now referred to as parental responsibilities, still, the definition remains the same. If a parent is awarded parental responsibilities, they will essentially be granted custodial privileges. In the state of Illinois, parents can be awarded decision-making power as well as parenting time. While many couples seek to secure the overwhelming majority or all of the parental responsibilities in a divorce, the truth is that sharing parental responsibilities can be in your child’s best interest. If you are seeking a divorce, it is critically important to speak with a knowledgeable parental responsibilities attorney.

Your Child Maintains a Relationship With Both Parents: While visitation rights can still be granted in a divorce in which one parent is awarded all parental responsibilities, a child can benefit greatly from living and experiencing life with both parents. If you and your spouse both believe that you are capable parents, it may be time to work with your attorney to come to an agreement on the issues surrounding parental responsibilities, such as parenting time. Working with your spouse to develop a parenting plan can ensure that you have the flexibility to develop a schedule that will be conducive to your child’s lifestyle.

Every single year, thousands of couples throughout the United States make the difficult decision to file for divorce. The divorce process can be increasingly complicated when children are involved. In the state of Illinois, child custody is now referred to as parental responsibilities. Parental responsibilities will define how time with the children and decision making is allocated between the parents. Due to the fact that the court will make their decision based on the best interest of the child, it is your responsibility to prove that you can provide your child with a safe and healthy living environment. Below we will examine some of the steps you can take to secure parental responsibilities during your divorce.

What Do Parental Responsibilities Entail?

When you are awarded parental responsibilities, you will be in charge of ensuring that all of your child’s needs are met. This means that you will be tasked with providing your child with a healthy diet, getting your child to and from scholastic and extracurricular activities, addressing all medical needs of your child, and ensuring that some level of supervision is provided when you are not available to directly care for your child. In the state of Illinois parental responsibilities are divided into two categories: decision-making-power and parenting time.

Throughout the state of Illinois, hundreds of law enforcement officials statewide are tasked with keeping our roads safe. With that in mind, police personnel are constantly on the lookout for drivers that are failing to adhere to state traffic laws. While some traffic violations will only result in minimal fines and points against your driving record, others can lead to serious legal consequences. Below we will examine some of the more serious traffic violations in Illinois, and why you should seek legal counsel if you have been charged with a violation.

• Aggravated Speeding: Due to the dangerous nature of traveling at speeds over the legal speed limit, speeding can come with serious consequences. In Illinois, a person can be charged with aggravated speeding if they are clocked driving 26 miles per hour or more over the speed limit. Unlike many traffic violations, an aggravated speeding charge constitutes a Class B misdemeanor and can lead to up to 6 months in jail. Fortunately, there are a number of defense strategies a skilled attorney can utilize in an aggravated speeding case.
• Reckless Driving: According to Illinois state law, reckless driving is defined as the willful disregard for the safety of one’s self and others while operating a motor vehicle. The most common examples of reckless driving include driving 35 miles per hour or more over the speed limit and swerving between lanes of traffic recklessly and without signaling. If convicted, a person will face Class A misdemeanor charges. It should also be noted that if a person’s reckless driving results in severe bodily harm to another party, the charges will likely be elevated to a felony.
• Driving Under the Influence: Every single year, thousands of Illinoisans are arrested for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Much like reckless driving, a DUI constitutes a Class A misdemeanor and can be elevated to a felony if aggravating factors are present. While many people assume that a DUI charge will automatically result in a conviction, there are a number of ways in which an experienced attorney can fight against a conviction. Whether a law enforcement officer pulled you over without probable cause, forced you to submit to chemical testing, or violated your rights throughout the arrest process, you need to work with a knowledgeable legal professional when facing DUI charges.

Contact a Lombard Traffic Violation Attorney

As mentioned above, many traffic violations can result in serious ramifications. A misdemeanor conviction can lead to difficulty in securing employment, housing, or loan opportunities. At Aldrich & Siedlarz Law, P.C., our team is dedicated to helping our clients fight against traffic violation charges. To schedule a free consultation with an experienced Will County criminal defense attorney, call us today at 630-953-3000.

When a court order is established regarding child support payments or child custody, it is meant to last, but that does not mean it is not subject to alterations. In the state of Illinois, post-decree modifications are common in court order surrounding divorce. Whether you are looking to adjust your child support or child custody order, it is important to understand the steps you need to take to ensure those changes can be made. The most critical step you can take in this process is hiring a skilled attorney with experience in cases of post-decree modifications.

Understanding Post-Decree Modifications

At the conclusion of a divorce case, a judge will sign an order or decree that will resolve various issues surrounding the divorce. In order to seek a modification to the order, you will need to file a motion. If you believe changes are necessary to the order, it is important to file the motion in a timely fashion. It should be noted that in order to seek post-decree modifications you and your attorney must be able to note significant changes that have occurred since the time of the initial order. In issues of child support, these changes most commonly revolve around changes in either parent’s income. If you are paying child support to your former spouse and you lose your job, you should file a motion to adjust the amount of child support owed, rather than being delinquent on your child support payments.